Chapter Fourteen #2
Sloane rushed through her morning and locked up, heading toward the Triple L. She shouldn’t be this eager to see Jonas. Sure enough, it wasn’t a happy guy who greeted her when she parked in the drive.
“I hear you and Clara are planning to take backpacking lessons,” he said as he opened the driver’s side door with a frown.
Ah, Clara. Well, it wasn’t a secret. “And I’m hearing your feet dragging instead of you telling your family that you made a mistake. Did you tell Clara this morning that we’re not really engaged?”
“Backpacking can be dangerous. Especially with a thirteen-year-old,” he said, ignoring her question.
So, that would be a no.
Sloane wasn’t sure what to tell him except—“It’s just an introductory class for beginners. You’re welcome to join us if you’re brave enough.”
“Being brave has nothing to do with it.”
Who was he kidding? Sloane arched a brow at Jonas.
“Okay. We’ll go to the class together.”
Together? The three of them?
He took the bag containing her change of clothes and walked with Sloane to the main house. Her pulse did that funny little dance it did when she had his complete attention.
“If you find you like backpacking, it could be a nice addition to the services you offer visitors.”
“The cost of insurance would be too high.”
“You sound just like Nathan.” That brought him up short. Got ya. “You could have the participants carry their own insurance and have them sign a waiver when they sign up for the hike. No overnight stays.”
There it was. That spark of cautious interest Sloane was looking for.
“I’ll think about it,” he said.
“You do that, Jonas Lohmen. I’ll check when I get home to see when the next class is scheduled, and I’ll sign us up.” If he wanted to continue this farce of an engagement, they may as well do things together—the three of them.
His brows shot up. She took her bag from him and headed into the house. She changed and put her clothes bag back in her truck. The kids were in the barn, taking turns grooming Duke and Rosie.
Nathan and Izzy were braiding the horses’ manes while Nathan explained what they’d be doing at the rodeo.
“Your jobs will be to pass out the flyers Izzy’s making and then rotate and take turns staying with the horses until it’s their turn to race.
We rented a table near the ticket booth.
An adult will always be with you there and in the stalls, so there will be no wandering off,” he said firmly.
Sloane smiled at his protectiveness. He sounded like the responsible uncle. Her dad could help keep an eye on the kids too.
Nathan caught her eye. “Is that okay with you?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be there to help wherever you need me to.”
Izzy touched his shoulder. “They’ll be okay.”
“I know, but it doesn’t take much for teenagers to find trouble,” he reminded them with a smirk. Shifting his shoulder, he trapped her hand next to his ear.
Izzy laughed. “You don’t have to worry. There are enough adults to keep an eye on them.”
See? This superpower, a close, intimate two-step that couples completely in love shared, was exactly what she was looking for. Her gaze drifted to Jonas. He sat on a hay bale outside his family’s circle while he cleaned halters.
He wasn’t making much of an effort to tell his family the truth. It pulled on her heartstrings, but it didn’t stop Sloane. If he wouldn’t tell them, she would. “Hey, guys. There’s something I want to—”
“Yeah,” Jonas cut in. “We—Sloane, Clara, and I—we’re taking backpacking lessons. If it works out and makes sense, we may recommend adding it as one of the ranch’s activities.”
Sloane gave him the look that should have stopped this craziness. Why was he stalling?
He patted the bale next to him.
Two could play this game. Sweet as sugar, she asked, “Do you want my help?”
“Of course.” He winked.
Huh. Maybe that wasn’t a surprise after his ongoing attempts to stay engaged in the eyes of their families.
Handing her one of the bridles from the stack beside him, Jonas showed her how to take it apart and clean the leather straps with saddle soap.
Flushing under his gaze, she followed his directions as he demonstrated.
As she expected, he didn’t stay silent long.
“You deleted your profile on that dating app.”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Why?”
“Obviously, I can’t date while I’m engaged.” She slanted him a snarky look. “Right?”
“That’s noble of you.” He lowered his voice. “Can we stay engaged until after the rodeo?”
“Jonas!”
“Shhh... I know it’s asking a lot, but everyone’s happy we’re engaged, and I don’t want to make them feel bad during the rodeo if we break up before that. We have a lot riding on the results.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing.” He raised his hands. “I’m just trying to keep everyone happy.”
She wasn’t sure if that sounded lame or if Jonas was making a good point. Sloane didn’t want the family to be disappointed during the rodeo, either. “Promise?”
“Promise.” Jonas went back to cleaning the bridles.
Sloane watched the kids take turns on the horses. She was confused. He didn’t want to marry her. If he did, he would have asked her to marry him properly, instead of announcing their engagement as if it was the score of a game.
“Why didn’t you ask Julieann to marry you? She’s certainly more than willing.”
He stared at Sloane. “She’s not my type.”
“That’s hilarious since I’m not your type either. Who is your type, Jonas?” Sloane blurted before she could stop herself.
Swiveling to face her, Jonas put aside the halter he was working on. “I’m still working that out.” His lips twitched, making Sloane wonder.
If she wanted to be his type, which she kind of wished she was, he would have shown an interest before now. “Julieann’s right, though, isn’t she?”
“We’re engaged,” he said, his anger dissipating.
“But not for real.” She stared into his beautiful eyes, not sure what she was looking for.
“You’re right,” he agreed before picking up the halter he’d put down.
He worked saddle soap into the leather, quiet for so long Sloane was certain their conversation was over.
When she was ready to give up poking at the mystery that was Jonas Lohmen—but only for the time being—he finally said, “After we break up, I could help you find a husband.”
“I’ve changed my mind about finding a husband.
Before I invite a guy to be part of my family, I want to make sure Clara is settled and happy.
” Sloane had no problem filling the role of single parent.
She was raised by one. And now that she knew for certain that she wasn’t one of his priorities, she was happy to let Jonas know what hers were going forward.
The silence between them got thick. “That could take a while.”
“I’m not worried about how long it will take.”
“You don’t want to get married anymore?”
“Oh, I do. Eventually. When the time is right,” she said decisively, no question in her mind. “I want it all. Love. Commitment. Happy-ever-after. Family. More children. A home filled with happiness. When the time is right.”
He nodded and returned to his halter. “I think I knew that about you.”
Jonas had known all along that she wanted to marry and have a family, and still he hadn’t proposed?
Not really. Julieann was right. She was not his type.
The sooner she stopped wishing for the impossible, the sooner she could let go and move forward without dreams of her and the rancher sharing their hearts plaguing her.
Starting now. But life didn’t always turn out the way a person wanted it to. Especially if that person didn’t fight for what she wanted.
“Just out of curiosity, who’s this guy you want to marry me off to?
” If she were a classic cartoon, steam would be rolling out of her ears.
Even though she was already moving on, it was insulting and made her heart ache that Jonas didn’t have a clue that man should be him.
“Hey, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. ”
He started to speak, but she interrupted. “What would you look for in a woman IF you were looking? Not sophisticated and on the fast track, I’m guessing, since you sent Julieann on her way fast enough.”
What was she doing? Did she want to move on or not?
He put aside the finished harnesses. Catching her gaze, he rubbed his short beard.
“She has to be smart. Independent. Have her own dreams. Be a hard worker for the important things, like her family. Be willing to play as hard as she works. She has to love adventures and puppies...” The corners of his eyes crinkled.
“And kids, and road trips with the family, and of course, horses and the ranch.”
“That’s a long list.” And sounded just like his sisters-in-law, but not Julieann, from what Sloane had noticed during the brief time she’d spent with the other woman.
He shrugged, but the humor in his eyes didn’t go away.
“You’re teasing, aren’t you?” This was the BFF she remembered. He’d slipped back into Jonas’s body when she wasn’t looking.
“No—” He laughed. “But someday.”
Jonas wasn’t talking about her, but at this point Sloane didn’t care.
She jumped up. “We have to go.”
Clara didn’t want to leave, but Sloane insisted. She’d had enough. They picked up tacos on the way home. Tonight would not be a cooking at home night.
“We’re still going, aren’t we? I’m supposed to help with the horses and passing out flyers,” Clara said when Sloane parked in front of the house.
Sloane worked up a smile. “Of course we’re going.”
After showers and a quiet dinner, Clara talked her into a game of Scrabble. Wasn’t she most of the things Jonas had described as his ideal woman? How did he not see that?
Clara took Sloane to the cleaners, beating her by too many points to count. “I won!” She danced around the living room, arms pumping. “I won!”
Saying good night to Clara, Sloane sat down at her computer and looked up backpacking lessons.
Finding what she was looking for, she was pleasantly surprised to find that a group of backpackers were offering a free introduction class for beginners at the rodeo on the first day.
The barrel races were on Thursday, so there was no conflict.
Clara would like that, and maybe her dad would join them.
She signed Jonas up too. That would show Jonas how adventurous she could be. She sent him the link.